Coin slide with positive return locking lever



Jan. 13, 1970 HIGREENWALD ET AL 3,489,259

COIN SLIDE WITH POSITIVE RETURN LOCKING LEVER Filgd April 8, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet l h 14 lg i 54 INVENTORS. 26 Harry Greenwald BY Frederxck Koops L k l j z ATTORNEY Jan. 13, 1970 H. GREENWALD ET AL 3,489,259

COIN SLIDE WITH POSITIVE RETURN LOCKING LEVER Filed April 8, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.6

United States Patent 3,489,259 COIN SLIDE WITH POSITIVE RETURN LOCKING LEVER Harry Greenwald, Whitestone, and Frederick Koops, Kew Gardens, N.Y., assignors of one-third each to Harry Greenwald, Louis Wolff, and Harry Silberglait, all of Brooklyn, N.Y.

Filed Apr. 8, 1968, Ser. No. 719,490 Int. Cl. G071? 5/00 US. Cl. 194-92 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A combination coin slide and locking lever assembly having means for urging the locking lever in engaging relation to the coin slide to limit projected movement of the coin slide when the coin receiving portion thereof is empty.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to a coin slide assembly and, more particularly, to a novel combination of a coin controlled slide and a locking lever to limit or prevent projected movement of the coin slide when the coin receiving portion thereof empty.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Coin control units are usually installed on commercial appliances such as clothes washers, dryers, vending machines and the like. The coin control is enclosed within a housing mounted on the appliance or machine and the housing is usually provided with a locked coin drawer which prevents unauthorized access to a coin receptacle located in spaced relation to the coin control. The coin control includes a coin slide reciprocably mounted in a guide track for projected and retracted movement thereof; said coin slide having a coin receiving portion for transmitting a coin to the coin receptacle upon projected movement of the coin slide. The inner end of the coin slide is provided with an operator for actuating the appliance or machine upon further projected movement of the coin slide to the operative position thereof.

Heretofore, locking means have been proposed to limit or prevent projected movement of the coin slide when the coin receiving portion thereof is empty. For example, such locking means usually comprise a locking lever that is pivotably mounted on the guide track for movement between first and second positions thereof. A finger extends from the locking lever and is biased by spring means toward a recessed longitudinal edge of the coin slide thereby defining the first portion of the locking lever. The recessed edge of the coin slide defines a shoulder portion that is suitably located to cooperate and interengage with the finger of the locking lever to limit projected movement of the coin slide. The arrangement is such that the presence of a coin in the coin receiving portion of the coin slide is operative to displace the locking lever to its second position, thereby disengaging the finger thereof from the aforesaid shoulder portion to allow further projected movement of the coin slide to the operative position thereof. The further projected movement of the coin slide transmits the coin to the coin receptacle whereupon the locking lever is adapted to be biased by spring means back toward its first position upon retracted movement of the coin slide.

The major difficulty and disadvantage of the coin slide assembly described above resides in the operation of the locking lever to limit projected movement of the coin slide when the coin receiving portion thereof is empty. For example, it has been found that foreign matter such as dirt, detergent soap or the like, may flow or be introduced into the housing to reduce the operating efliciency of the spring means, thereby preventing the locking lever from being biased to the first position thereof. Furthermore, the spring means may become weakened through unforeseen circumstances and/or abusive use of the coin slide assembly to reduce the operating efiiciency thereof. It has further been found that the spring means may corrode or deteriorate in time, thereby causing said spring means to weaken and eventually break after repeated stress cycles. The result, in all of these situations, is to prevent the locking lever from being biased to its first position thereby preventing the finger of the locking lever from interengaging with the aforesaid shoulder portion upon projected movement of the coin slide. It will be appreciated that if the locking lever is not biased to its first position, then a person can actuate the appliance by projecting the coin slide to its operative position without the presence of a coin in the coin slide. Consequently, thousands of dollars each year are lost as the result of defective operation of the locking lever.

The present invention is an improvement on the above coin slide assembly that eliminates the aforesaid diificulty and disadvantage in a manner hereinafter described.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The coin slide assembly of the present invention includes a positive return locking lever means that is mounted on the coin slide for reciprocation therewith. A dog member having a cam edge extends from said means and is adapted to engage a locking lever upon retracted movement of the coin slide for urging said locking lever to a first position thereof. Cooperating means are provided on the coin slide and the locking lever, which are interengageable when the coin slide is in a projected position and the locking lever is in said first position thereof, to prevent further projected movement of the coin slide when the coin receiving portion thereof is empty.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a coin slide assembly having improved means for urging a locking lever into the proper position to limit projected movement of the coin slide.

Another object and feature of the present invention is to provide a positive return locking lever structure for a coin slide assembly that is simple in construction, economical to manufacture and gives long lasting service.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become. more apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the coin slide assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention with the coin slide being illustrated in a projected position thereof;

FIG. 2 is a partial view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating the coin slide in an intermediate retracted position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating the coin slide in its fully retracted position;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of an element of the locking lever assembly;

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view of the element illustrated in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the element illustrated in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, numeral 10 represents a coin slide assembly which is adapted to be enclosed in a housing (not shown) and installed on a commercial appliance such as a clothes washer, dryer, vending machine or the like. Assembly includes a guide track 12 reciprocably supporting a coin slide 14 for projected and retracted movement thereof; said coin slide 14 having a coin receiving portion 16 for transmitting a coin to a coin receptacle (not shown) upon projected movement of coin slide 14. If desired, a coin chute may be provided to discharge the coin into the coin receptacle; said coin chute having coin registering means and slug detecting means which are well known and hence not illustrated as they form no part of the present invention. Access to the coin receptacle is permitted by a locked coin drawer suitably located in the housing, whereby said coin drawer may be unlocked and the contents of the coin receptacle removed at periodic intervals. Assembly 10 further includes a mounting plate 18 which is adapted to be secured to a wall of the housing for supporting assembly 10 therein. The coin slide 14 is usually provided with an operator at the inner end portion thereof for actuating the appliance upon projected movement of said coin slide, whereupon said coin slide 14 is retracted back to the coin receiving position by a spring 20 connected between a bracket 24 on coin slide 14 and a bracket or post 22 on guide track 12.

The coin slide assembly 10 may be provided, in the usual manner, with the customary devices for preventing unauthorized operation by slugs, washers, and the like. Furthermore, protective means, indicated generally by the numeral 26, may be provided to insure that the coin will be transmitted to the coin receptacle when the coin slide 14 is projected to its operative position, thereby preventing retrieval of said coin when the coin slide is retracted to its original coin receiving position. In addition, a pawl and rack arrangement, indicated generally by the numeral 28, may be provided to insure that the coin slide 14 can only be moved in a projected direction once the coin has been advanced a predetermined distance. However, after coin slide 14 has been fully projected to its operative position, the interengagement of the pawl and rack is such to permit only retracted movement of the coin slide to its coin receiving position. The above noted features have been shown in the drawings merely for illustrative purposes; the operation thereof being well known, and it is understood that said features form no part of the present invention.

Locking means, indicated generally by the numeral 30, are provided to limit projected movement of coin slide 14 when the coin receiving portion 16 thereof is empty. Referring to FIG. 1, coin slide 14 is formed having an elongated slot 32 extending along a longitudinal edge thereof. Accordingly, coin slide 14 has a longitudinal edge 34 which extends forwardly of longitudinal edge 36 and is recessed with respect thereto, thereby defining a shoulder portion 38 at the junction of said edges 34 and 36. Locking means comprises a locking lever 40 that is pivotably mounted on guide track 12 for movement between first and second positions thereof. A finger 42 extends from locking lever 40 and is biased by spring means 44 toward longitudinal edge 34 of coin slide 14, to define the first position of said locking lever when said coin slide is in its retracted c-oin receiving position. As shown in the drawings, spring means 44 is connected between a post 46 on locking lever 40 and a post or bracket 48 on guide track 12. Accordingly, when coin slide 14 is moved in a projected direction, finger 42 slides along edge 34 tocooperate and interengage with shoulder portion 38 to limit projected movement of the coin slide. The arrangement is such, however, that the presence of a coin in the coin receiving portion 16 of coin slide 14 is operative to displace locking lever 30 to its second position, thereby disengaging finger 42 from shoulder portion 38 to allow further projected movement of coin slide 14 to the operative position thereof. In this connection, a circumferential edge portion of a properly sized coin will bear against an upstanding pin 50 of locking lever 40 to pivot said locking lever outwardly to its second position; said second position being shown in FIG. 1 wherein finger 42 is now biased toward longitudinal edge 36 by means of spring means 44. It will be appreciated that if spring means 44 is operating properly, then locking lever 30 will be biased back toward its first position by said spring means when coin slide 14 is retracted to its initial coin receiving position.

In accordance with the present invention, novel means, indicated generally by the numeral 52, is provided on coin slide 14 for engagement with locking lever 30 to insure that said locking lever will be urged to its first position when coin slide 14 is retracted to its coin receiving position. More particularly, means 52 comprises a bracket member 54 mounted on coin slide 14 for reciprocation therewith. A dog member 56 extends from bracket 54 and is located to project laterally of coin slide 14 and in substantial alignment with locking lever 30; said dog member 56 having a cam edge portion 58. The arrangement is such that if locking lever 30 should, for any reason, be displaced to the position shown in FIG. 2, then cam edge 58 will engage with an edge portion of locking lever 30 upon retracted movement of coin slide 14. In other words, as coin slide 14 is retracted to its coin receiving position, the edge portion of locking lever 30 will engage with and ride along cam edge 58. Accordingly, if spring means 44 should become weakened and thus, not operate properly, then dog member 56 will urge locking lever 30 to its first position, as shown in FIG. 3, to limit projected movement of the coin slide, when the coin receiving portion thereof is empty.

It will be appreciated, that even if spring means 44 should break, dog member 56 will still operate to urge locking lever 30 to its first position. Furthermore, it is now apparent that the positive return locking lever means 52 of the present invention will prevent the loss of thousands of dollars each year which result from the defective operation of heretofore known locking lever arrangements.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, bracket 54 is formed having a spring anchoring means or post 24 which serves to anchor one end of spring 20. Furthermore, bracket 54 is preferably provided with stop means 60 which is suitably disposed to abut against guide track 12, as shown in FIG. 3, to limit retracted movement of coin slide 14. Accordingly, it will be further appreciated that the positive return locking lever means 52 of the present invention is relatively simple in construction and highly efiicient in operation in satisfying a three-fold purpose; namely, to provide anchor means 24 for anchoring one end of spring 20; stop means 60 for limiting retracted movement of coin slide 14; and dog means 56 for urging locking lever 30 to its first position.

Element 52 may be mounted on coin slide 14 by any suitable fastening arrangement. In the preferred embodiment, bracket 54 is provided with an opening 62 for receiving screw member 64, which in turn, is threaded into an internally threaded opening in coin slide 14. One or more studs 66 project from the base of bracket 54 and are received in complementary openings in coin slide 14 to prevent pivotable movement of said bracket. It will be appreciated, however that the preferred fastening arrangement is merely illustrative and is not to be deemed a limitation of the present invention. Furthermore, element 52 may preferably be constructed of a hard metal, such as steel, which is cadmium plated and chromate treated to resist corrosion.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail, it will be readily understood and appreciated that various changes or modifications thereof may be made.

We claim:

1. In a combination with a coin slide assembly having a coin slide reciprocably mounted in a guide track for projected and retracted movement thereof, a locking lever pivotably mounted on the guide track for movement between first and second positions thereof and means for biasing the locking lever toward the first position thereof, cooperating means on the coin slide and locking lever interengageable when the coin slide is in a projected position thereof and the locking lever is in the first position thereof, and wherein the presence of a coin in the coin slide is operative to displace the locking lever to the second position thereof and in disengaged relation to the coin slide to allow further projected movement of the coin slide to an operative position thereof; wherein the improvement comprises: means on the coin slide engageable with the locking lever upon retracted movement of the coin slide for urging the locking lever to the first position thereof.

2. The coin slide assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said last mentioned means comprises a dog member having a cam edge for engaging an edge portion of the locking lever upon retracted movement of the coin slide.

3. The coin slide assembly as recited in claim 2, and bracket means mounted on the coin slide; said dog member extending from the bracket means and projecting laterally of the coin slide and in substantial alignment with the locking lever.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS STANLEY H. TOLLBERG, Primary Examiner 

